Champions League | League Stage

Nov 5, 2024 at 8pm UK

Stadio Renato Dall'Ara

Bologna vs Monaco

Match preview

Bologna are back in Europe for the first time in decades, but they've had a tough time making an impact. They couldn't build on the one point they got from their opening draw at home to Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Rossoblu lost 2-0 in England last month, both times to Liverpool and Aston Villa. So far, they haven't scored a single goal.

They've become the first team to fail to score in each of their first three Champions League matches since Austria Vienna did so in 2013. The Emilian club have taken the most shots without scoring this season (41).

This lack of ruthlessness also meant they ended up in the bottom half of Serie A, but two wins in a week have recently improved things.

Just days after a home game against AC Milan was called off due to bad weather, Vincenzo Italiano's team beat Cagliari 2-0. Last weekend, captain Riccardo Orsolini scored for the third time in as many league games, beating Lecce 1-0.

Bologna may have only won their third game of the season, but they've still only lost once in Serie A. Looking back through the history books, they're unbeaten in all 28 previous home matches in European competition.

By comparison, Monaco have had a great start to their league campaign, picking up seven points including three from an opening day win over Barcelona.

After a 2-2 draw with Dinamo Zagreb, the Ligue 1 side then beat Red Star Belgrade 5-1. It was their joint-most shots in a Champions League match, with 27.

Takumi Minamino scored two goals that time, but Monaco have had the most different goalscorers of any team so far (seven), and only three other teams have scored more goals.

Given their strong start, Swiss striker Breel Embolo has said that the team's goal is to finish in the top eight, which would avoid the playoffs. However, there may still be room for improvement.

Les Monegasques have only won four of their last 19 away European matches before heading to Emilia-Romagna. Recent results suggest they've lost some momentum.

After an 11-game unbeaten run at the start of the season, Adi Hutter's men suffered their first defeat to Côte d'Azur rivals Nice. They then lost 1-0 at home to Angers, marking the first time they had lost two league matches in a row for more than a year.

Recent Performance

Bologna Champions League form:DLL

Bologna form (all competitions):LDDLWW

Monaco Champions League form:WDW

Monaco form (all competitions):DWDWLL

Team News

Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano was pleased to welcome back Lewis Ferguson at the weekend. The Scotland midfielder came off the bench late in the game to complete his comeback from an ACL injury he sustained in April.

Charalampos Lykogiannis, Oussama El Azzouzi and Martin Erlic are still out, and Michel Aebischer is still dealing with a thigh issue.

Two other Swiss internationals, Remo Freuler and Dan Ndoye, could start for the hosts on Tuesday evening, joining up with national-team colleague Breel Embolo, who leads Monaco's attack.

Another Switzerland stalwart, former Chelsea midfielder Denis Zakaria, has missed two games with an adductor injury, so he might be unavailable at the Dall'Ara.

Folarin Balogun and Mohammed Salisu are also out of action, but defensive duo Jordan Teze and Vanderson will both be back in the squad after suspension.

Young winger Maghnes Akliouche is set to start in support of Embolo. He's been directly involved in one goal in each of his first three Champions League appearances.

Possible starting lineups

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumi, Miranda; Freuler, Moro; Orsolini, Odgaard, Ndoye; Castro

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Majecki; Vanderson, Singo, Kehrer, Henrique; Camara, Magassa; Akliouche, Minamino, Golovin; Embolo